Bush Homecoming on

[frawin]

For anyone interested the Bush Homecoming can be viewed live now on the Midland Reporter Telegram website or go to mywesttexas.com. This is the first one of his trips back that we have not been there  to see. George and Laura are first class people and we wish them the best.
Frank

[frawin]

Larry Gatlin and Group, Rodney Atkins and Lee Greenwood will be performing today. Larry Gatlin was just on, I wish everyone could have seen Larry and heard his comments. I am waiting on Lee Greenwood to perform "God Bless The USA" my favorite song , Lee really puts his heart in to singing it.

[frawin]

I hope some of you tuned in and watched President Bush's coming home speech in Midland, TX today. 

[Bonnie M.]

Thank you, Frank, for posting the web-site.  I watched it all afternoon.  It was a great homecoming, and a great speech. 

Thanks again.

[frawin]

Bonnie, speaking of homecoming we are ready to have Catfish with you and Bob.

[Bonnie M.]

I'm more than ready!  We'll let you know the next time we're flying into Tulsa, you can count on that!

[flo]

Frank, the way you speak of them, I take it you and the Bush's are on a first name basis friends?

[frawin]

I thought some of you that missed it yesterday might enjoy President Bush's homecoming speech in Midland. I thought it was great and George done a great job delivering it. Myrna and I lived in Midland Texas for 27 1/2 years and George was one of the first Oil operators I met when I went there with Phillips. We done a dryhole contibution for call on the oil on some wells George was getting ready to drill in Roosevelt County New Mexico. At the time I met George his Father and Ronald Reagan were campaigning to beat the Carter-Mondale team and George didn't seem to have any political aspirations. Later George and Laura's seats in the Midland High School Football stadium were right in front of ours and we got to visit with them at the football games. George and Laura were really big supporters of all of the youth programs, the schools and any community activities. They gave all 3 of our kids donations for school fundraisers.  One thing that our oldest son was always proud of is that George and Laura gave him a donation for the High school band trip to march in the Inagural parade when George HW was inagurated.  After I left Phillips and joined an independent crude oil purchasing company, the President and owner of the company had been in business in Midland for many years and was there when George HW was in the oil business there and they had become close friends and remain so to this day. Through that friendship I got to meet and shake hands with George HW twice, both times when he came to Midland campaigning for the Presidency, George HW is a real Gentlemen and very interesting to talk to. I didn't get to talk to him very much but I had the feeling that I had just met a man of greatness, integrity, very sincere in what he believed in, a real Christian and someone that loved this Nation very much. George and Laura have remained Midlanders throughout their trip and tenure in the Whitehouse, Laura returned to Midland many times during the George W Presidency both to see her mother and lend her help and support community programs. George HW, Barbara and Laura all came for the dedication of the Bush boyhood home. What a family and what a sacrifice they have made for this nation they love so much.
We were there in the crowd 8 years ago when they left from Midland to go to the Whitehouse and I wish we had been able to make the trip for their homecoming back to Texas.

GWB's Farewell Speech on 1/20/09 in Midland, TX is 20 minutes long – and well worth watching (the total news clip is 33 minutes)!

http://www.kwes.com/global/video/flash/popupplayer.asp?ClipID1=3358841&h1=President%20Bush%27s%20Homecoming%20Speech%20%281-20-09%29&vt1=v&at1=News%20-%20Special%20Coverage&d1=1988334&LaunchPageAdTag=Search%20Results&activePane=info&rnd=51799711

[Catwoman]

Frank, I so envy you...I deeply, deeply admire both the former President and Mrs. Bush.  What a fabulous thing, to be able to count those two as friends.  It is they who inspired this, as the camera followed that last flight of the helicopter carrying the former President and Mrs. Bush out of DC:

The eyes of the Eagle are fixed on the horizon; its gaze, never flinching...
Tho' the winds of change are swirling about it, as they have from the beginning.
The steadfast heart of this magnificent bird has carried a tremendous load,
Paying such a critically high price...Even though no debt was owed.
And so, the Eagle rises in flight, aimed toward the dawn...
Out there's a new day full of promise...The Eagle is carrying on.


Copyright 2009  Catwoman

[frawin]

Cat, I won't say I count them as friends but I do count them among the treasure of "MOST UNFORGETTABLE PEOPLE" that I have had the opportunity to meet and know  in my lifetime. I have been blessed with really super fine people in my lifetime, and many of those people I spent time with and had lots of visits with were right there in Elk County Kansas. I got so much encouragement from so many people while I was growing up in Howard, Kansas. Clay Reams, Clad Criger, Tom Baughman, Earl Garison, Bill Gragg, Carl Russel, Guy Denton, Chester and Eva Miller, and many more, I think of some of them everyday. The Lord blessed me with opportunity, my family taught me hardwork and I got lucky and married a really super person that has been an absolutely great partner, friend, wife, mother to my children, is a great cook and can play so many musical instruments by ear. I get to set in my office many nights and hear her play the Piano, the Organ and the Clavinova with her own backup band on it. Life has been good to me and I am thankful. There that is probably more than you wanted to hear.